AI asks its crew to say 'Jai Hind' after every flight announcement

New Delhi: Passengers traveling by India's national carrier Air India will continue to hear the nationalist chant of 'Jai Hind' after every announcement, said a senior Air India official on Monday.

The official said the operations' directive, which was first issued to the cockpit crew in 2017, has been in "continuous implementation".

The only change now, sources said, is that such chant will also be applicable to other cabin crew members.

The national carrier has reportedly issued a separate advisory that mandates all crew members of Air India to announce 'Jai Hind' at the end of every announcement after a slight pause and with much fervour.

But it needs to be seen if 'Jai Hind' will be announced after every small announcement or restricted to the initial greeting of passengers and before signing off.

"The operational directive has been re-issued by the department concerned keeping in mind the role of the carrier's responsibility in nation-building. It will be strenuously adhered to," the official told IANS.

During his first stint as Air India's Chairman and Managing Director, Ashwani Lohani had issued a similar directive to pilots and co-pilots to say 'Jai Hind' after every announcement. The directive came in 2017 and has been in force since then.

As of 2019, Air India with a fleet of 160 aircraft flies to a total of 122 destinations, including 78 domestic and 44 international destinations.